Resource for Lesson 1 - website
Explanation of resourceThis resource is a website called taste.com.au. It aims to bring together all the major food magazines and compile them in an easy-to-find format. With over 22 000 recipes on this website, it needs to be very organised and structured. As such, taste.com.au is very practical and easy to use, as there are a number of search tools and themed recipe collections. This resource is a good way of exploring the unit topic of "celebrations". Food is a central part of celebrations and this website has recipes and ideas for celebrating a wide variety of special occasions (eg. Christmas, birthdays, Australia Day, Easter, Valentine's Day and many others). Upon entering the site, there is a linked button to enter the "special occasions" section. Once accessed, there is an extensive and yet easy to follow list of various celebrations. They all have links and when clicked, open up the chosen celebration recipe, set out in a procedure styled text. Students will be engaged by the large, colourful photos and the interesting facts that are related to the recipe. The recipes are rated from simple to difficult and this also relates to the language used. The easier recipes tend to be geared towards a young audience and stage 2 students would be more than capable of understanding. However the fancier recipes contain a lot of technical, chef-related words. Once explained to students, they would be excited to have an expanded Masterchef vocabulary, and thus expanding their knowledge base about celebratory foods. There is also a glossary link for the more tech-savy students who wish to find the meanings of the words themselves.Relevance of resourceTaste.com.au contains an extensive range of food-related celebration information, therefore is very relevant to the "celebration" unit of work. It is important that students are exposed to a wide variety of technology (Smartboards, websites etc). ICT in a safe, highly monitored classroom should be encouraged. Living in a highly technical world, it would be advantageous for students to have exposure to using computers and exploring (safe) websites. As outlined in the English Syllabus, stage 2 students should be interacting and freely exchanging ideas and thoughts. They are able to read a wide range of texts, including websites. This website will be explored in small groups, therefore complying with the standards of stage 2 talking and listening outcomes (BOS, p. 17). The overall multimodal text at the end of this unit of work asks students to create a poster of a celebration which they will be allocated. Being familiar with ICT and the taste website will enable students to better explore the food side of their celebration. The procedural style layout of the recipes in the website will also help them to write an information report about their celebration. Just like in a recipe, all the ingredients (ideas) need to be included to ensure that the food (information report) turns out perfectly! ReferencesNSW Board of Studies (2007) English K-6 Syllabus, Board of Studies: Sydney.Taste Website: http://taste.com.au/ Accessed 26 September 2011.